NBA player JaVale McGee did something nice for someone, but let’s take a closer look at what he did.
JaVale McGee decides to help a homeless person out by leaving them with a crisp $100 bill. Now, the world may think this is an awesome gesture of humility and sacrifice, but it wasn’t. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says.
In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus says this:
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Even though McGee did a nice thing, he ruined it when he made it viral, and then later bragged about it on twitter. In Matthew 12:41-44, Jesus reiterates (says something again) that you shouldn’t make your offerings public. He observes the rich people who loudly proclaim what they are giving and how much of a sacrifice it is for them to give so much. Then he watches as a poor widow quietly makes her way up to the offering plate and drops in her two coins and leaves. Jesus then turns to His disciples and says that the widow has given much more than the rich people because she gave out of poverty unlike the rich people who were giving out of wealth.
